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Resident urges Riley County to tighten enforcement of short‑term rentals in neighborhoods
Summary
A Manhattan resident told commissioners enforcement gaps are undermining neighborhood quality and urged local action rather than new rules that staff cannot enforce.
A Manhattan resident told Riley County commissioners during the May 19 public‑comment period that short‑term rental activity in residential neighborhoods is undermining quality of life and that enforcement of existing rules is failing.
Troy Cobili, who identified a Manhattan address, described repeated complaints about an unlicensed short‑term rental and said county planning and development told him it could not pursue violations while a licensing issue was unresolved. Cobili said the property operated without a license after a mid‑February incident until receiving a license on July 15 of the prior year.
“It takes five and a half weeks to actually be dealt with in the manner of it's not turned into a violation — it's just kept as a complaint,” Cobili said, describing loud music, tents, camping in front yards and increased traffic around rental properties.
Cobili said he previously urged the planning and zoning board to remove short‑term rentals from residential zoning. He told commissioners that additional regulatory layers that are not enforced would be unhelpful and encouraged the county to pursue enforcement capacity first. He said state involvement — including action by the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) — has not solved enforcement problems and that KDA officials told him they lack manpower and funding to inspect residential short‑term rentals.
Commissioners and staff discussed whether nuisance authority or county code provisions might provide enforcement pathways; county staff noted short‑term rental rules sit under the county’s regulatory framework and differ from common‑law nuisance remedies. No changes to county rules were adopted at the meeting.
Cobili suggested contacting state legislators to secure statutory authority or funding for enforcement, while county representatives said some enforcement tools require clearer local code or legislative change. The exchange highlighted a split between calls for new local authority and practical questions about who will carry out inspections and enforcement.
No formal action was taken during the meeting on short‑term rentals; the remarks were taken during public comment and captured for follow-up.
